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Forum "Copper is Trendy" leaded by Clarke, modet & Cº Chile

Completely in line with the new motto that inspires Clarke, Modet & Cº Chile “create without limits, your ideas are our challenges”, on Wednesday the 6th, Carolina del Rio, general director of Clarke, Modet & Cº Chile, gave the green light for the First Forum for conversation “Copper is trending” as a venue in which to discuss, in a familiar setting, about important issues that could have an impact in our development as a country.

In a relaxed atmosphere, in the Partners’ Bar at Club 50 in Las Condes, a heterogeneous group of 18 opinion leaders associated with the world of innovation and copper (designers, entrepreneurs and institution representatives such as Codelco Lab and Pro Chile, among others) was summoned by Clarke, Modet & Cº Chile to share their experiences and opinions with respect to the historical opportunity that Chilean copper is experiencing today, not only from the perspective of mere producers of the resource, but betting on strengthening the supply of value-added goods.

After a brief introduction from Carolina del Rio – in which she addressed her experience supporting successful innovation cases – the floor was given to the editor of MásDeco Magazine, from La Tercera, Mr. Osvaldo Luco, who has followed quite closely the increasing use of copper in design and architecture over the last years.

This was followed by an amenable conversation with designers, such as Luz Briceño, representatives from academia, and from the Association of Entrepreneurs of Codelco Lab, among several other influential characters in this field.

“The talent and resources are there. The challenge is galvanizing creative energy”, said Francisco Gazmuri, executive director of Asech. For Alejandro Muñoz, creative director of Fundación Imagen de Chile, the entire conversation revolved around the vision that the entity is currently seeking. “We do not want to convey that we are just copper producers”, he said. He was especially open to the possibility of exploring the creation of a “Copper valley” in our country.

But it was Luis Améstica, founder and CEO of Copper Andino, who in addition to explaining the various applications of copper in vary diverse fields - which include not only significant works of architecture and design, but also fishing nets, carpets, health, textile products, etc. - also proposed the creation, based on this first meeting, of an "Association of Innovators for Copper," an idea that captured the enthusiasm of all parties in attendance. In fact, Germán Quezada, Projects Chief at Codelco Lab, declared that, from this perspective, "copper's externalities vastly exceed the costs that it generates."

And even though all of the enthusiastic participants in this first meeting were left wanting more - in fact, the need for a new meeting was discussed - Carolina del Río closed this interesting conversation emphasizing that it is precisely in this type of reflections where Clarke, Modet & Cº Chile's foundations - namely, innovation, trust and ethics - can make a significant contribution, for the great challenge of supporting entrepreneurship and innovation, "especially regarding copper, a product that is key for Chile and which has countless perspectives for development and for offering Chilean talent to the world, during a stage of further development."